A captain of a whale watching tour boat was the spotted a spout Thursday in waters near Everett, Wash., KING 5 news reports.

Shortly thereafter, passengers spied more spouts, and then a few more prominent whale parts such as backs and tails. The gray whales have arrived at their Puget Sound stop during their yearly migration from Mexico to the Artic, what is considered the longest migration of any mammal in the world.

The whales travel 120 miles off their path for the Puget Sound pit stop. But, as KING 5 says, "they are rewarded with tasty ghost shrimp they can easily dig from the silt near the mouth of the Snohomish River. The shallow waters of Puget Sound between Everett and Whidbey Island have been prime gray whale grazing sites for centuries."

– The Oregonian

Man in Corvallis lights gasoline to burn yard waste, survives

Corvallis authorities say a man who used gasoline to ignite a pile of yard debris is expected to survive his burns.

The Gazette-Times reports the unidentified man in his 50s told firefighters he'd poured gasoline on the pile and then poured a trail of gas leading to it.

Jim Patton of the Corvallis Fire Department says that when the man lit the gasoline, flammable vapor in the air exploded. He suffered first- and second-degree burns Wednesday, and a relative took him to the hospital.

Patton says there are safer ways to get rid of yard debris, such as recycling and composting.

-- The Associated Press

Teen girl injured by hit-and-run driver in Washington

Police are looking for a white SUV that hit a teenage girl Thursday night in Puyallup, Wash., and left the scene.

The 16-year-old had left a market and was in a crosswalk when she was hit. She's in a Tacoma hospital, expected to survive.

KIRO-TV reports police have video from the store that may help identify the SUV. It's likely to have front-end damage and a dented hood.

-- The Associated PressBody confirmed as that of missing Montana woman

BUTTE, Mont. — Authorities say a body found this month in the Clark Fork River is that of an Anaconda woman who had been missing since December.

The Montana Crime Lab released the autopsy report Monday to Anaconda police, which confirmed the identity of the body as 41-year-old Tammy Salle.

Salle was last seen on Dec. 23 and her family reported her missing three days later. Her boyfriend, John Goldberg, shot himself to death a few days after police first questioned him about Salle's disappearance.

Fishermen found the body March 2 in a shallow area in the middle of the river.